Foam padding for protecting the human body is known in the art particularly in situations to prevent frictional movement against body parts that would produce skin irritation. For example, Gates U.S. Pat. No. D333,939 illustrates a design for a back support cushion. U.S. Pat. No. 5,019,064 to Ellender teaches the use of a low-friction multilayer pad with foam backing for reducing share and friction forces on a user's body. U.S. Pat. No. 4,788,972 to DeBusk teaches the use of padding for an orthopedic support device that includes a resilient foam plastic layer and fabric layer for placement against a body member. U.S. Pat. No. 3,812,862 to Bernstein teaches a waist supporting garment having two belt members that encircle the waist of the user in the manner of a corset or girdle. U.S. Pat. No. 6,374,408 to Tomlinson et al. teaches a protective athletic pad for use across a knee or elbow to protect the user from abrasion and bruising during sports activities. Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 6,362,387 to Carlson et al. teaches a self-adhering liner that is sized to low-friction support for a portion of a human body for a shoe or prosthetic socket.
Users of these types of devices often find that these pads do not stay firmly in position nor do they work well with Thoraco-Lumbo-Sacral-Orthosis (TLSO) type of braces and the like.
Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.